Carburetor air intake arrangement



Dec. 11, 1934. A, WILSON 1,983,723-

CARBURETOR AIR INTAKE ARRANGEMENT Filed NOV. 2l, 1931 Patented ee. l1,1931i eA'rEr oFFlcE Livingston A. Wilson,

General Motors Corporation, corporation of Delaware fipplicationNovember 21, 1931, Serial No.

(Cl. ISO-54) 1 Claim.

In automotive vehicles of the type which is in general use at thepresent time, the carburetors of the propelling engines and other partsof the fuel and induction systems are located within substantiallyclosed compartments from which the volume of air required by the enginesis withdrawn through the earburetors. When the temperature of the airwithin the engine compartment exceeds a certain degree, as it does undercertain conditions, the performance of the engine becomes more or lessunsatisfactory due to decrease in volumetric efficiency and occurrenceof vapordock in the fuel system. The principal object of this inventionis to provide means whereby, at the will of the driver, relatively coolair from the outside of the engine compartment may be supplied to theintake of the carburetor of the propelling engine and passed over thecarburetor and other parts of the fuel system of an automotive vehicleso as to increase the volumetric efficiency of the engine and preventthe occurrence of Vapor-lock in order to increase the efficiency of theengine under these conditions.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from a perusal of thefollowing specification, in

which there is described the preferred embodiment of my invention whichis illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the enginecompartment of an automotive vehicle in which is embodied my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, with parts broken away and insection, of the construe tion shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken through the enginecompartment of the vehicle shown in the preceding figures.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of the engine hood andthe combined door and deflector shown in the preceding figures.

`In the drawing, the reference character 10 indicates the frame of anautomotive vehicle on which is mounted the propelling engine 11, towhich a carburetor 12 to which fuel is supplied by a pump 33 through apipe 34 is connected by a riser 13. Air is admitted to the carburetorthrough the louvered openings 14 in the combined air cleaner and intakesilencer 15, which is connected to the air intake conduit 16 of thecarburetor. The exhaust gases are led from the engine to the atmospherethrough a pipe 17, which has a branch 18 through which a portion of theheated exhaust gases may be led into a jacket which surrounds a portionof the riser 13 so that Flint, Mich., assignor "to Detroit, Mich., a

the combustible mixture passing therethrough may be heated when desired.The engine 11 and the attachments heretofore mentioned are inclosedwithin a compartment, of which the hood 19 forms a part.

So that relatively cool air from the outside of the engine compartmentmay be supplied to the intake of the carburetor and passed over thecarburetor; the fuel pump and other parts of the fuel system locatedwithin the engine compartment when desired, there is provided in thelower panel of the hood 19 at about the level of the carburetor intakeconduit, and just forward of the combined air cleaner and intakesilencer an opening 20. To ears 21 which are formed on the hood at theupper and lower edges of the opening 20, there is pivotally connected byrivets 22 a forwardly and outwardly opening combined door and deflector23 which is adapted to scoop up more or less of the relatively cool airwhich passes the hood 19 when the vehicle is in motion and direct itonto the combined air cleaner and intake silencer, the carburetor, thefuel pump and other parts of the fuel system located within the enginecompartment. The combined door and deflector 23` consists of va doorpanel 24 and a channel-shaped element 25 consisting of a web 26, onwhose forward edge there is provided a flange 27 which limits openingmovement of the combined door and deector and flanges 28, whose freeedges adjacent their forward ends are connected to the upper and loweredges of the door panel 24. On the rear end of one of the flanges 28through which the pivots 22 pass, there is formed an arcuate series ofdepressions 29 into any one of which a teat 30, which is formed on theadjacent ear 21, is adapted to be seated so as to hold the combined doorand deector in fully closed position in which the door panel 24functions as a closure for the opening 20 or in fully opened position,or in any one of several intermediate positions. To facilitate openingand closing of the combined door and deflector, there is provided on thedoor panel 24 a knob 31.

To prevent air heated by the branch 18 of the exhaust pipe 17 and heatradiating therefrom, from reaching the air intake openings 14 in thecombined air cleaner and intake silencer so as to aid in maintaining theair entering the intake of the carburetor at a relatively lowtemperature, there is interposed between the pipe 18 and the combinedair cleaner and intake silencer a shield or deflector 32 on theforward'end of which there is provided a downwardly inclined flangewhich tends to prevent air which has been heated by the radiator andblown rearwardly by the fan from reaching the combined air cleaner andintake silencer and the carburetor.

It will, of course, be understood that thev combined door and deilector23 is made adjustable so that the amount of cold air admittedtherethrough may be regulated in accordance with the temperatureconditions within the engine compartment, and that the combined door anddelector may occupy practically any position from and including that inwhich it is shown in solid lines in the drawing when a maximum volume ofcold air will be directed onto the combined air cleaner and intakesilencer, the carburetor, the fuel pump and other parts of the fuelsystem located within the engine compartment to and including that inwhich it is shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 3, in which theopening 20 is completely closed and no air from outside the enginecompartment may enter it therethrough.

The structure shown in the drawing and hereinbefore described forholding the combined door and oleector in open, closed and intermediatepositions may be replaced by any suitable mechanism, such as a springconnected to the combined door and deflector and to the hood so that itpasses through the line in which the axes of the pivots 22 are locatedas the combined door and deiiector is moved from open to closed positionor vice versa and, consequently, holds the combined door and deector inopened or closed position.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that this has been done by Way ofexample and not by way of limitation, and that the scope of my inventionis to be determined only by the appended claim.

I claim:

In an automotive vehicle which includes a compartment Within which thereis located an engine, a carburetor, and an exhaust passage through whicha heated medium passes located in juxtaposition to the carburetor: anopening through which air is adapted to enter the compartment adjacentthe carburetor, a deiiector so associated with the opening that itdirects air which enters the opening from without the engine compartmentonto the carburetor, and a shield so located that it prevents access ofheat from the exhaust passage to the carburetor and serves to guide theair from the deflector toward the carburetor.

LIVINGSTON A. WILSON.

